Sleeping Beauty and his Prince
by TearoToHero
Summary: Sam's having troubling rousing Dean from his slumber, Cas shows up at just the right time to assist which gets both he and the eldest Winchester into a very... suggestive situation, and Sam called it. Together with an irked Bobby and a very confused angel, the Winchester boys have to figure out what's going on and how to get Dean back. Some Destiel, friendly teasing, and a tad AU.
1. Chapter 1

"Dean, hey, Dean." Sam moved his hand to wave in front of his elder brother's face, concern furrowing his brow. It was a little after ten in the morning, according to the clock hanging on the motel wall, and way past time the two of them were usually up, out, and investigating their latest hunt. Lately something had changed in Dean's behaviour, his usual ever-ready self ditched at the door in favour of somebody, Sam thought fleetingly, was closer to a hormonal teenager than a fully grown, fully functional man.

Then snapping his fingers in an attempt to capture the sleeping hunter's attention, Sam leaned down so his mouth was mere inches from Dean's right ear. "Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty." The teasing, he hoped, would prompt some kind of witty reply, the kind Dean had always been expert in.

A flutter of wind on fabric and a sudden uncomfortable prickling on the back of Sam's neck alerted him to Castiel's presence before the angel had time to speak. While he was growing more used to the sudden appearances and disappearances, it wasn't uncommon for Sam to be momentarily spooked by them. At least this time he hadn't thrown anything – Cas wasn't too happy to receive a dagger to the shoulder last he came to deliver a message. To settle his conscience, Sam reasoned that Cas never seemed happy, anyway.

"He is still sleeping?" Cas' voice came out the same low, commanding way it always did, the normality providing a second's relief for Sam. It would have been catastrophic to have their angel amiss, too, at least now he had a chance of getting some help.

"Like a baby," Sam replied, shaking Dean's shoulder in a last ditch attempt to rouse.

Cas remained silent for a moment, then taking a step toward the bed Dean had sprawled across. "Let me try." Before anyone had the chance to object, the angel bent down – his trench coat creasing with the motion, tie brushing across Dean's outstretched arm – took a deep breath that made Sam believe he was going to work some angel mojo on his brother, and gave an almighty "Boo!"

It was all Sam could do not to laugh.

Castiel, meanwhile, seemed nothing short of puzzled with Dean's lack of reaction. From his observing the human race, he had seen the scaring technique worked well to garner attention. Maybe if he wore a dark hood like they did in the few movies he had watched to try and understand some of Dean's more obscure references...

A sudden deep, throaty chuckle from the bed had both angel and hunter casting their eyes to the man on the bed. Cas' head tilted a little in confusion, whereas Sam simply rolled his eyes and folded his plaid-clad arms across his chest.

"Dean?" Even as Cas murmured his name, Dean reached out and swiftly hooked a hand around his tie, pulling the angel close to him with such ferocity Cas lost a little of his balance and toppled forward. His angelic grace, and perhaps his Grace, too, had been lacking lately as he grew closer and closer to his favourite dysfunctional siblings. "What-?"

Sam snickered, offering no assistance as Dean quickly went to work yanking Castiel toward him as though he were a child's toy, prevented from moving by shock and the warm arm which was draped heavily over his waist.

"Don't move," the elder Winchester instructed, delving into his pocket for his phone. "I want a picture of this."

As Sam moved to get a better angle, Cas' expression shifted closer still toward innocence and confusion as Dean burrowed his face into the warm skin of his neck. "Why would you want a picture?" While Castiel was learning more about the ways of men day by day, there was still a lot he didn't, couldn't, understand about the things they did. Humour was perhaps the most difficult to comprehend.

"Blackmail," Sam said, distracted by the device at hand. "This'll wake him up."

Sure enough, the tell-tale sound of Sam's endeavour into photography seemed to pull Dean a little out of his daze, though his grip on Cas remained firmly in place. While Sam was sure the angel could have removed himself from the situation with no trouble at all, he was hardly surprised when he didn't. Dean may have been blind to both his and Cas' 'fondness' of each other, but Sam certainly wasn't.

"'Sgoinon?" Dean grumbled, shielding his face from view in the fabric of Cas' coat. "Sammy?"

"Sam is taking a picture," Castiel explained plainly, the barest of flushes colouring his cheeks. Maybe he was a little more aware than Sam originally had thought.

Rolling his eyes at the use of the nickname, Sam pocketed his phone before Dean would have a chance to take it and delete the amusing evidence. Not that it would matter if he did, Sam had already sent it out to a few old friends who, he was sure, would soon have to make good on their bet and pay up. Sam Winchester had officially called it; his brother _wanted _to be touched by an angel. "Gotta get up."

"Relax, Christopher Robin, Pooh's not goin' anywhere." Dean groaned, choosing then to roll over onto his other side, Sam guessed to hide his face once he had realised the position he had put himself in with Cas. Speak of the angel, within seconds he had upped and disappeared from the room.

Wearing a somewhat smug grin, Sam grabbed the pillow from his own bed and tossed it effortlessly at Dean's back. "Maybe not, but Bobby's expecting us. Unless you're planning on having Cas zap you over and me take the Impala -"

That had Dean sitting bolt upright in a flash, reaching for his discarded duffel from the floor by his bed. "You are _not _taking my baby," he snapped, wiping over his face with a hand to try and erase the overbearing grogginess he felt.

"I could get you there much quicker," Cas said, having reappeared in the corner of the room without either of their noticing. "And probably safer."

That remark had Dean rolling his eyes and Sam suppressing a knowing laugh. The two of them ignored the angel for a solid five minutes, gathering the few possessions which had strayed around the motel room.

"How'd you know to find us, anyway?" Sam wondered aloud as he stuffed a dirtied shirt back into his bag.

"Bobby told me," Cas replied flatly, suddenly seeming wary of his own personal space where usually he would be within touching distance from Dean at all times. Seeing Sam's raised brow, he glanced away and added, "I had a question for him."

"Question?" Dean said, adjusting his boots.

Once again Cas had fled the room, leaving a very confused Dean and quietly chuckling Sam to finish packing their things. Sam had definitely called it.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, uh, what was all that about?" Sam finally broke the silence – if blaring rock and Dean mouthing lyrics counted as silence – in the Impala, glancing sidelong at his brother. Clearing his throat, he fought the urge to grin. "Tired?"

Dean drummed his fingers against his baby's steering wheel, refusing to be taunted for something that was, he thought, completely out of his control. "It was a one-off," he insisted stoically.

"Sure it was. Playing role-reversal with Cas, huh?"

Without missing a beat, Dean replied, "What happens in crappy motel rooms stays in crappy motel rooms."

Sam scoffed, shifting his eyes to stare at the stretch of road ahead. "Uh-huh. What, so you're planning on denying it ever happened?"

"What ever happened?" Instead of waiting for a reply, Dean reached over and turned the music up to drown out any of Sam's further probing. That didn't, however, keep his mind from straying to question his groggy-actions, nor how having Cas so close had been oddly comforting. If he let that slip, next thing he knew Sam would suggest a Breakfast Club sharing circle which was just a chick-flick disaster waiting to happen.

* * *

Cas stood, stiffly, glancing from Bobby to the window and back again. Neither had said much to the other since Cas had assured the Winchesters would be arriving soon, nor did they feel the need to. There was a palpable awkwardness in the room, not least because of Cas' guilty conscience over the morning's events. He couldn't seem to think of much else beside Dean's unexpected embrace and the way he had, almost, felt something. Feeling, getting too close, relying on simple touches from the man he admired most... that was dangerous territory for an angel of the Lord.

* * *

Ducking a little out of habit so he wouldn't hit his head _again, _Sam climbed not ungracefully out of the Impala, sparing a glance toward the unusually pensive Dean before heading over to where Bobby was waiting. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, shrugging at the questioning look on Bobby's face, one brow slightly raised as he noted Cas' presence. On any other day it would take a prayer or a call to beckon the angel, but he guessed today wasn't a busy day for anyone. Or, a small part of Sam's mind spoke up amusedly, Cas was hanging around to see his brother.

The likelihood of that being the reason was increased tenfold as Sam checked the shadow of a flush rising to Cas' cheeks as Dean joined them.

"So what's up?" Dean asked, and to Sam it looked as though he was trying a little too hard to stare straight at Bobby. The endeavour didn't escape Bobby's attention, not by the way he muttered something about 'idjits' and shook his head.

Cas spoke up coolly. "A contact of Bobby's thinks Dean is bewitched."

"Bewitched?" Dean repeated, snorting. "I'm just fine, pretty sure I'd know if Sabrina had come at me."

"Sabrina?" Cas looked perplexed, but dropped the matter as Bobby spoke over him.

"You have been acting kinda odd lately, boy," Bobby pointed out, sparing Dean a scrutinising glare. "All signs are pointing to it. Lack of energy, reckless behaviour – more'n normal, anyway – and well..." Instead of finishing that thought, his eyes flicked to a suddenly guilty looking Cas, who had taken sudden interest in his shoes.

"Son of a-"

Dean was cut off by a short laugh from Sam, and Cas muttered an apologetic, "It was important that all the facts were straight. The information was necessary."

Bobby rolled his eyes at the three of them, electing to put an end to the bickering before it could begin. Those boys really got on his nerves sometimes, but more so he was annoyed at how Dean seemed to be missing the obvious. For a top-class hunter, he sure was stupid sometimes.

"Point being," Bobby began, fishing into his jeans' pocket for a slip of paper. "Friend of mine is working about figuring out how to really you straight; got some instructions here, too."

Unable to wave the opportunity, Sam muttered, "It's a bit late for that, we should respect his life choices."

Glaring full on at his brother for a moment, Dean swung an arm at Sam in irritation. It wasn't long before the two of them had broken out into a childish scrap, Sam coming out on top as Dean appeared to be much less coordinated than usual, as if he were distracted by something. On instinct, Cas had stepped forward as if to break up the fight, to protect either Winchester from getting seriously hurt. The fact that they were mostly joking around escaped the angel entirely, and Bobby hadn't the heart to break it to him. If Cas going guardian angel for a moment broke up the idiots, he could take the second-hand embarrassment.

"Stop," Cas ordered forcefully, placing a hand on Sam's arm where he was trapping Dean in a headlock which _should _have been simple to counter, though the elder Winchester was having trouble concentrating enough to figure his way out of it.

Cas' actions elicited a bout of laughter from Sam, and an awed look from Dean which, if none present had known better, would have lead them to the conclusion he was high. Sam did, however, let go and move to take the paper from Bobby and read it through, the two of them exchanging quiet words.

"Dude, I'm fine," Dean brushed Cas off briskly, though his gaze travelled to the angel's mouth, wondering whether it was as soft as it looked. He suspected so, the time they had met Jimmy Novak had given him the impression the vessel was fairly well taken care of, so by default Castiel was, too. The thought of Jimmy, somewhere in there with Cas, sent jealousy pouring through Dean's veins like acid. "Why him?" he snapped suddenly, one hand reaching out to grab for Cas' coat.

The angel was confused, his mouth pursing into a thin line as he stared blankly at Dean. "I don't understand what you're asking."

"Why _him_?" Dean repeated, his voice nearing a low growl as Sam looked up from where he was talking to Bobby.

The youngest Winchester cleared his throat, far from laughter now. This didn't look like the mushy, rom-com Cas-and-Dean interaction he had been hoping to see – for blackmail and bragging rights, of course. If things kept going this way, his chances of winning those bets and their staying on the good side of Dean's angel were growing slim.

"Hey," Sam said, taking a step closer to the two as Bobby watched carefully. "Dean, ease up, it's Cas."

Dean's jealousy increased tenfold, his free hand coming to close around one of Cas' wrists. "Back off, _Sammy. _You stay away from him."

Cas remained silent, observant, as he shot a questioning look toward Sam. Dean didn't let go, even as Sam moved to detach him from the angel and, hopefully, get him inside. Bobby's panic room seemed as good a place as any to stow him away until this passed.

"Looks like Sandy was right," Bobby muttered, joining Sam in tugging Dean away. Thankful for Dean's hindered physical skill, it didn't take them long to drag him inside and away from the confused angel. Cas disappeared into thin air shortly after they left him, feeling a little awkward, inexplicably hurt, and a lot worried for his hunter.

* * *

"He wasn't this bad last night," Sam informed Bobby as they stood outside the room Dean was currently sleeping in. The second his head had touched down on the pillow, he had been out like a light. "It's like they upped the dosage this morning."

Bobby shook his head a little. "Gotta be something setting him off, but until it's sorted it's probably better he's in there counting sheep."

"Counting sheep?" Cas repeated, suddenly standing to Bobby's right. As they noticed the angel, Dean began to stir in his sleep, reaching out for something.

Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Sleeping. It's an expression."

"Oh."

Dean grabbed at the space above him, his face twisting into a frown as quiet whimpers escaped him. Bobby and Sam exchanged a look, the latter taking a moment to think before speaking up. "Maybe if we send Cas in there..." he trailed off, needing to say no more as Cas was already standing beside Dean's bed.

It took mere moments, this time, before Cas had been yanked down to Dean. This time the hunter's arm had draped itself across his waist, Dean's head coming to pillow itself on Cas' chest even as a contented smile broke onto Dean's face. Naturally, Cas flushed, but offered no objections as Dean nuzzled closer into him.

"Well," Bobby cleared his throat. "Would ya look at that."

Sam couldn't help but smile a little, though inside he was really beginning to worry. While the two of them cuddled up together was a sight he had been counting on for a long time – and he was glad is brother looked happy – there was the ever-present concern for Dean's well-being. "Think that's part of the, uh, bewitching?"

Bobby shrugged and closed the door to give red-faced Cas at least a little relief from his evident embarrassment. "I don't know, but we can deal with whatever that is when the idjit's snapped back to himself."


End file.
